California State Parks and Wildlife Conservation Trust Fund Act

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There was a good scare, last summer, when California threatened to close 100 of its state parks because of budget cuts. 100 out of 278, many worthy of being in the National Park system. A closure list was even circulated, but fortunately, it did not go into effect. Instead, maintenance, administrative staff and some facilities’ hours were reduced.

However, this respite is only temporary. A funding crisis could occur again. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, this is in contrast with Oregon, where the state parks benefit from a fund that is independent from the state’s budget, and therefore cannot be cut. As a result, I had found their facilities to be superb, with campground amenities such as hot showers, and water spigots in each campsite.

In return, vehicles registered in California would receive free admission to any California State Parks. If you visit the State parks, this is a great deal, since a couple of visits costs more than $18.

Is it unfair to those who do not visit the parks ? I don’t think so. Public infrastructure is provided for anyone as part of the social contract. Whether you use them or not is your choice. If you do not have children, do you find it unfair that your tax dollars are used to fund schools ? You can more easily decide to visit a park than change your family situation. In addition, by providing a dedicated funding source for state park operations, General Fund monies would then be freed up for other uses.

How can you help now ? Make sure that the initiative gets enough signatures to make the November 2010 ballot. There is only 3 months left. I’ve volunteered to this effect with the Sierra Club, but there are many other organizations that endorse the measure and have similar volunteer programs. You can also volunteer directly on the Yes for State Parks site. Even publishing an article on a blog is deemed helpful !

Posted on February 12, 2010, 1:23 am, by QT Luong, under Uncategorized.

3 Comments

Good for you, QT! Here in Arizona, almost all the parks have been or in the process of being shut down- no more of those shots from Red Rock Crossing in Sedona (among others). Most of the “amenities” in the state are in similar shape. Truly a desert.

This is not good news.Today we need more and more national parks and wildlife refuges and instead of this happening the already established parks are on the verge of being shut down.I think that the government should do something immediately about this problem.

QT Luong is a full-time photographer and author with a broad range of work on natural and cultural landscapes, noted for being the first to photograph each of the 59 US National Parks - in large format, the subject of Treasured Lands, winner of six national book awards.